| Crash location | 31.920556°N, 102.386944°W |
| Nearest city | Odessa, TX
31.845682°N, 102.367643°W 5.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N1002W |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 13 Oct 2004 |
| Aircraft type | Murray DA5B |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 13, 2004, approximately 1230 central daylight time, a Murray DA5B single-engine homebuilt airplane, N1002W, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during landing at the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport (ODO) near Odessa, Texas. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from the same airport approximately 5 minutes earlier.
According to the 143-hour pilot, while performing a high-speed taxi test on runway 20 (a 5,703 foot by 75 foot runway), in a newly completed airplane, he unintentionally became airborne. Not wanting to drop the airplane back on the ground, and getting close to the end of the runway, he elected to go full throttle and made a wide left turn to return to the runway. He reported that on his first approach, the airplane was to going too fast, so he elected to go around the airfield a second time to perform a "normal" approach.
The pilot further reported that once past the runway threshold marker he pulled the engine throttle back to idle, and on touchdown, the airplane bounced back into the air. The airplane then bounced a second time and departed the runway settling into the grass adjacent to the runway. During the rollout, the nose gear dug into the soft terrain, and the airplane nosed-over, coming to rest in an inverted position.
A representative from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to the accident site and reported that the fuselage was buckled and split just aft of the wing trailing edge. The aft fuselage and vertical stabilizer were also crushed downward.
At 1253, the automated weather observing system at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport (ODO) near Odessa, Texas, reported variable wind at 4 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, a clear sky, temperature 73 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.98 inches of Mercury.
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing. A contributing factor was the unsuitable terrain for landing.